Jess
adv, name, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A short strap fastened around the leg of a bird used in falconry, to which a leash may be fastened.
"Haukes haue about theyr legges gesses made of lether moste comonly, some of silke which should no lenger but that the knottes of them should appere in ye myddes of the left hande betwene the longe fynger and the leche fynger bicause the lewnes should be fastened to them with a payre of tyrettes, whiche tyrettes should rest vpon the lewnes and not vpon gesses, for hangyng and fastyng vpon trees when she fleyth […]"
- 2 Alternative form of jet (the mineral). alt-of, alternative
- 3 Alternative form of jet (the color). alt-of, alternative
- 1 To fasten a strap around the leg of a hawk.
- 1 Pronunciation spelling of just. alt-of, not-comparable, pronunciation-spelling
- 1 A diminutive of the male given name Jesse.
- 2 A diminutive of the female given names Jessica or Jessamy.
"‘Now then Kit,’ said Mr Parkinson, ‘look sharp! Help Jess up. Where has she got to?’ ‘Here I am!’ said Jessamy breathlessly as “helped” rather to vigorously from behind by Kit, she arrived on her knees on the floor of the dog cart."
Example
More examples""How did Jess get up to Manchester?" "By train." "So she went through Birmingham, then?""
Etymology
Clipping of Jesse, Jessica, or Jessamy.
From Middle English ges, from Middle French gies, from the plural of jet (“throw”), from Vulgar Latin *iectus, jectus < iactus (“a throwing”), or from jeter (“to throw”), itself from Latin iactare.
See jet (etymology 2).
See just.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.